Marie Hilley
Audrey Marie Hilley was an American woman whose life took a dark turn, leading her to become known for her involvement in the deaths of her husband and daughter. Born in Alabama in 1933, Marie aspired to wealth and married Frank Hilley in 1951. After Frank's untimely death in 1975, attributed to hepatitis and kidney failure at the time, Marie collected a substantial life insurance payout. However, troubling events unfolded when her daughter exhibited similar symptoms, revealing high levels of arsenic in her system, which prompted authorities to exhume Frank's body, discovering lethal arsenic levels as well.
Marie was indicted for the attempted murder of her daughter and later for the murder of Frank, but she vanished prior to her trial. Reinventing herself under a new identity in New Hampshire, she weaved an elaborate tale about her supposed death. Eventually, her deception unraveled, leading to her arrest in 1983. Marie was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment but made a brief escape, only to be found shortly thereafter in a vulnerable state, ultimately leading to her death in 1987. Her case captivated the nation, raising awareness about domestic violence, poisonings, and the complexities of criminal behavior among seemingly ordinary individuals.
Subject Terms
Marie Hilley
American murderer
- Born: June 4, 1933
- Birthplace: Blue Mountain, Alabama
- Died: February 26, 1987
- Place of death: Anniston, Alabama
Major offense: Murder by poisoning
Active: 1975-1979
Locale: Anniston, Alabama; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Marlow, New Hampshire
Sentence: Life sentence for first-degree murder plus twenty years for attempted murder
Early Life
Audrey Marie Hilley (HIHL-ee) was the daughter of Huey Frazier and Lucille Meads Frazier, who worked at Linen Thread Company near Anniston, Alabama. Her grandmother and great-aunt often cared for her while her parents worked. Marie attended Anniston public schools, familiarizing herself with that community’s social elite and aspiring to become wealthy. In seventh grade, she met Frank Hilley, who was four years older. She married him on May 8, 1951. Serving in the U.S. Navy in Guam, Frank sent his paychecks to Marie to deposit while completing her high school education. Instead, she spent the money before her discharged husband returned to Anniston.
Criminal Career
During the spring of 1975, Frank began suffering nausea and numbness. He died on May 25. Doctors attributed his death to infectious hepatitis and failed kidneys. Marie spent the $31,140 in life insurance benefits. Then, in August, 1979, Marie’s daughter was hospitalized with similar symptoms. Blood tests revealed substantial arsenic in her hair and urine. The county coroner ordered the exhumation of Frank’s body on October 3, 1979. The state toxicologist said his body contained deadly amounts of arsenic. Police arrested Marie on October 8 for attempting to murder her daughter, for whom she had bought life insurance.
Legal Action and Outcome
A Calhoun County, Alabama, grand jury indicted Marie of attempted murder of her daughter on October 25, 1979. After friends posted her fourteen-thousand-dollar bond on November 16, the freed Marie vanished. While she was missing, a Calhoun County grand jury, on January 11, 1980, indicted her of murdering her husband.
As a fugitive, Marie reinvented herself. Traveling to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she met John Homan and introduced herself as Lindsay Robbi Hannon. The couple moved to Marlow, New Hampshire, where they married on May 29, 1981. Marie then concocted a bizarre story: While traveling alone to Texas, she telephoned Homan and identified herself as Lindsay’s twin sister, Teri Martin. Teri told Homan that Lindsay had died. Then, pretending to be Teri, Marie traveled back to New Hampshire to comfort Homan. However, coworkers investigated items in Lindsay’s obituary that Marie (as Teri) had written and discovered that it was fraudulent. They alerted authorities, who arrested Marie on January 12, 1983.
Marie’s nine-day trial began on May 30, 1983. Her two children, sister-in-law, and cellmate testified against her. The state toxicologist confirmed that bottles seized from Marie’s home had contained arsenic. After deliberating for almost three hours, the jury declared Marie guilty, convicting her of first-degree murder and attempted murder. Judge Sam Monk sentenced her to life imprisonment plus twenty years in Julia Tutwiler State Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama.
Marie received a three-day pass from prison on February 19, 1987, and disappeared. On February 26, police found her seeking shelter from heavy rain on a porch near her birthplace. Suffering from hypothermia, she died en route to the hospital.
Impact
Marie Hilley’s criminal activities shocked the people in Anniston who knew her. Nationwide, her case received a great deal of media attention, and Americans were dismayed that a seemingly normal housewife could act so lethally against her family. Marie’s evasive techniques, elaborate lies, and years as a fugitive mystified many people. Some, including her second husband, remained in denial about her murderous nature. Marie’s actions influenced the way in which many physicians interpreted possible poisoning situations, while criminal analysts studied her case to profile other females who kill using poisons. Marie defended her innocence, refusing to offer reasons for her behavior. In 1991, a television film titled Wife, Mother, Murderer: The Marie Hilley Story depicted Marie’s bizarre behavior and multiple identities.
Bibliography
Douglas, John, and Mark Olshaker. The Anatomy of Motive. New York: Scribner, 1999. Douglas profiled Hilley when she was a fugitive to help Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents find her, describing her as a complex psychopathic personality motivated by control, anger, and greed.
Ginsburg, Philip E. Poisoned Blood: A True Story of Murder, Passion, and an Astonishing Hoax. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1987. In-depth depiction of Hilley, her victims, case investigators, and people associated with her. Includes photographs of Hilley and her family.
Kelleher, Michael D., and C. L. Kelleher. Murder Most Rare: The Female Serial Killer. London: Praeger, 1998. Categorizes Hilley as an unexplained serial murderer, noting that she was sane and that she never clarified the motives for her murderous behavior.
McDonald, R. Robin. Black Widow: The True Story of the Hilley Poisonings. Far Hills, N.J.: New Horizon Press, 1986. A detailed account written by an Anniston Star reporter, providing background information concerning Hilley’s family and the Anniston community.